1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a method capable of automatic teaching of a machining line, which is used in a machining apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
In some machining apparatus, a borderline sensor is used for teaching a machining line automatically. In such machining apparatus, an operation program for controlling the teaching operation of the machining apparatus is prepared for each different machining operation. The operation programs are made in such a way that the borderline sensor is moved along the machining line and moves across the machining line at a predetermined interval. Then, the position of the borderline sensor is stored in a memory as a teaching position every time the machining line is detected by the sensor.
In the operation program described above, the sensing direction of the sensor, which defines paths across the machining line, should be programmed for each sensing position and the number of sensing positions becomes large, because the machining operation of the machining apparatus is performed in a three-dimensional space as well as in a two-dimensional surface. Accordingly, the operation program becomes very complex, and large amounts of labor and time are needed to prepare such operation program. Furthermore, the operation program should be prepared for each different machining operation, because the operation program can not commonly be used for various machining operations.